Friday, June 20, 2008

I am like the rest of moms out there. I HATE the idea of anything happening to my kids. Ever. So it makes me insane when on a daily basis I find out that there is just one more thing to add to the list of things they are exposed to in the most innocuous ways. First it was lead and then the toxins in most bottles and cups made specifically for kids. Grrrrrrr. I try to be diligent about these things but I also have a real life with limited time and a list as long as my arm that never quite gets completed. This is why I am really a big fan of shortcuts. "Cliff's Notes" for life. These are the types of things that take all of the thinking and draying out of my children's potential health hazards. So I will share two finds passed along my two lovies.

Reading is big in my house. It is our end of day downtime and my girls hate to go to bed without it. They are both still at the age where we do most of the reading but my 4 1/2 year old is starting to read. One of her other favorite things is getting mail - her own mail. My parents and family know this and accommodate her often with postcards from their travels. Still nothing compares to when she gets her own magazine in the mail - "just like Mommy" she says. Highlights for kids is great, really great. But now they even have a magazine for the pre-readers called High Five and we love it. She is getting a little old for it but has now decided it it her favorite "read it myself" tool. So now I think we will have to get a subscription to both - one for her to read to us and one for us to read to her.

I really do hate it. But it has become a must do. I am so busy with MommyMixer that it seems silly not to tell all readers about it (all three of you :)). For those of you who don't know I ma the City Manager for MommyMixer in Columbus and we just had our 5th event and it want great. The catch-22 is this. Moms LOVE it once they are their. The survey results (anonymous) of course are amazing. But it can be pulling teeth to get them there. I know $100 is a lot (grrrr recession) but really it is worth every penny. Once moms have attended they ALWAYS agree. We will not have another event until the end of September due to school being out all summer. I hope by then I have figured out the way to work the magic so that families understand what an amazing resource this is - like speed dating or online dating we make it efficient, personal and EASY.

If you are still looking for a babysitter – why not meet 15-20 at once?

When it comes to parenting challenges, finding a reliable, trust-worthy babysitter ranks up there with getting into a good preschool and potty-training. That's the genius behind MommyMixer®. Attend a MommyMixer event in your city, and you'll meet a schmorgasborg of high-quality college students looking for part-time babysitting jobs. It's face to face, so you can instantly make connections and scope out the candidates who would be the best fit with your schedule and children. Then, at then end of the Mixer, we'll even give you a comprehensive copy of The Babysitter Book™ full of sitter résumés so you can contact your favorite candidates to set up follow-up interviews. And voilà - parenting challenge conquered.